Boot and shoe sewing machine



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1. A. EPPLER, Jr.

BOOT AND SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

No. 325,068. Patented Aug. 25, 1885.

WITNESSESII 'NVENTUFV (No Model.) 5 Sheets-8heet 2 A. EPPLER, Jr.

BOO T AND SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

No. 325,063. Patented Aug. 25, 1885.

WrTNEssEsx I lNVEN-TDR 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

A EPPLER, Jr.

BOOT AND SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

No. 325,063. Patented Aug. 25, 1885.

7 5: 5:2 m in 2 40 0V W I T fill E S S E S: Cmsnfimeam 7x4 (No Model.) 5Shets--Sheet 4. A. BPPLER, Jr.

BOOT AND SHOE SEWING MACHINE. N0. 25,063. Patented Aug. 25, 1885.

III! -W|';N-ESSES3 IINVENTEIFQ.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

- A. EPPLER, J1".

BOOT AND SHOE SEWING MAOHINE.

No. 325,063. Patented Aug. 25, 1885.

W T N E as ES." c\msstkoomima; x W

lUNrrie rarns ATENT rrrcr...

ANDBPHV EPILER, JR, OF BOSTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ED\VIN ADAMS, ()FNElVBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

BOOT AND SHOE SEWING MACHINE.

Application filed )Iaiuh 2, 1855.

ZCEPICJLTIDN forming part of Letters Patent No. 325,063, dated August25, 1885.

No model.)

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that l, ANDRE\V Bruce, J r., of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a Boot and Sho'eSewing Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved machine forstitching together the upper and channeled sole of a turned boot orshoe; and itconsists in the several. improvements hereinafter describedand claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figures 1 and 2 represent elevations of my improved machine, taken fromopposite sides. Fig. 3 represents a front elevation, the handwheel shownat the right-hand end of the shaft 1), Fig. 2, being removed, and saidshaft being shown in scction. Fig. :1: represents a section on line 0000, Fig. Fig. 5 represents a section on line y 3 Fig. 4. Figs. 6 and '7represent enlarged side elevations of the stitch-forming mechanism. Fig.8 represents a perspective view of the sticker or arresting device. Fig.5) represents a perspective view of the needle-looper,sticker,channel'gage, and back gage. Fig. 10 represents a similar viewwithout the channel- Fig. 11 represents asection on line .2 z, Fi (3. Fis. 12 and 13 re resent side views a a p of the needle and cast-off,showing their relative positions during diiterent parts of theoperation.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

In the drawings, av represents the fixed supporting frame or standard,in which is journaled th'e driving-shaft b. 0 represents a headconnected to the frame a by a horizontal bolt or pivot, d, so that itcan oscillate independently. The head 0 is oscillated by a cam, (l, onthe driving-shaft, on the periphery of which cam bears a roll, 0,journaled on an arm attached to the head, and a spring, f, Fig. 5,contained in a socket in the frame a, and bearing against a lug, f,attached to thehead c,and thus pressing the head in the directionrequired to hold the roll 0 against the periphery of the cam d.

The swinging head supports the curved needle g,the looper 71, the backgage,z',for the edge The back gage,i,and channelgagej are arms orfingers attached, respectively,to a lever, is, and a lever, Z, both ofwhich are pivoted on a stud, m, affixed to the head 0. The upper ends ofthe levers 7t Z are provided with rollers o p, which are pressed by aspring, (1, connecting said levers, against a cam-block, 1*, attached toa slide, 8, which is reciprocated vertically between guides t t in thehead 0 by a cam, 7!, on the driving shaft, and a spring, a, Fig, 3,which presses the slide upwardly and holds a roll, 20, journaled on saidslide against the cam a. The back gage, z, is formed to support the edgeof the sole to be stitched, and the portion of the upper which rests onsaid edge and the channel-gage j is formed to enter the usual channelformed in the sole. hen the cam-bloekr descends, the inclines 2 3 at itsupper end, coming between .the rolls 0 1), permit the spring q to drawthe upper ends of thelevcrs 7.; Z inwardly, and thus cause the lowerends of said leversto separate, the back gage being thus withdrawn fromthe edge of the sole and the channelgage partially withdrawn from thechannel, so that it will not drag in the channel during the backwardmovement of the head. The upward movement of the block 7 causes thewider lower end to separate the upper ends of the levers k Z, and thusmove the gages toward each other. A screw, 0/, Fig. 1, limits themovement of the lever 70, whereby the back gage, 2', is thrown forward.Byadjusting said screw the back gage may be caused to stop at anydesired distance from the channel-gage, thus accommodating the machineto the distance between the channel and the edge of the sole. In casethe screw to is adjusted outwardly, so as to cause the rollers 0 1) tobind on the cam-block r and prevent its free upward movement, no strainis caused, the camblock being moved upwardly only by the spring a, Fi 3,so that it can stop at any point in its upward movement.

The needle 1 is asegmeutof a circle having its center in a pivot orrock-shaft, b,on which the arm 0, to which the needle isattached,oscillates. Said arm is oscillated by means of a cam-groove,cl, in the rear side of the earn (1 on the driving-shaft, a verticalslide, 0, in the head 0 having a roll, f, entering said groove, (seeFig. 41,) alever, g, pivoted at h to ears 2" iii formed on the lowerportion of the head a and connected with the lower portion of the slide6 by a link, j, and a link, is, connecting the needle-arm c with thelever g. The vertical reciprocating movements of the slide 6 oscillatethe lever g, which in turn oscillates the needle arm c, in the arc ofwhich the needle is a segment.

1 represents the cast off, which fits closely against one side of theneedle and is attached to an arm, m, which is in turn attached to oneend of the pivot or rock-shaft b,on which the needlearm c oscillates. Tothe other end of said rock-shaft is attached an arm, a", (see Figs. 2and 11,) which is connected by a link, 0, with a lever, 12, pivoted at qto the head 0, and provided with a curved slot, T, which receives astud, s, on the oscillating lever g. The slotted lever 12 receives alimited oscillating movement from the lever g, which is imparted throughthe link 0, rock-shaft 1/, and arm m to the castoff, which is thuscaused to accompany the needle during a part only of its movements, ashereinafter described.

The looper h is an arm having a threadguiding orifice at its lower endand attached eocentrically to a stud, t, fitted to rot-ate in a sleeve,a, affixed to the head 0. The stud t is provided at its upper end with apinion, e, which meshes with a rack, to, reciprocating horizontally in aguide on the head 0. Said rack is reciprocated by means of a lever, a",secured at its upper end to a rock-shalt, b which is journaled in thehead 0, said lever having a slot at its lower end receiving a pin on therack, an upwardly-projecting lever, 0 on said rock-shaft having a roll,a, at its upper end, and a cam-groove, d in the outer.

side of the cam u on the driving-shaft, said cam-groove receiving theroll 0 and oscillating the levers a a thus causing the rack toreciprocate and oscillate the looper, causing said looper to move overthe needle when the latter is thrown forward and thus present the threadto the barb of the needle.

I employ a holding device whereby the lasted upper and inner sole areprevented from mov ing with the swinging head and the mechanismsupported thereby when the head is moving backwardly preparatory to itsforward or work-feeding movement. Said device is composed of arock-shaft, f (see Fig. 8,) journaled in ears 9 on the fixed frame a,and provided with an arm, 7L2, having in its outer endaperforatingpointor sticker, 2", which, when the arm is depressed, enters the uppersurface of the sole between its edge and the channel, and thus holds thesole against backward movement. The rock-shaft f is oscillated toalternately depress and raise the sticker by the descent of theoscillating lever g above described, which, when depressed, strikes anarm, j", on the rock-shaft and turns the latter so as to raise thesticker, as shown in Fig. 6, and a spring, bearing upwardly against thearm j and turning the rock-shaft,

so as to depress the sticker whenthe lever g is raised, as shown in Fig.7. A stop, Z limits the upward movement of the arm and the downwardmovement of the sticker.

The operation is as follows: The boot or shoe, placed upon the lastwrong side out and lasted in the usual manner, is held by the hands ofthe operator, who inserts the channel-gage in the channel, as shown inFig. 9. Before the needle moves forward the back gage and channel gageare caused to approach each other, .the back gage being thus brought inposition to support the edge of the sole and the portion of the uppercovering said edge while the channel-gage is pressed firmly into thechannel. The needle now moves forward and penetrates the edge of 'theupper and base of the channel-flap, as shown in Fig. 9. The looper thenrotates sufficiently to press the thread against the barbed side of theneedle, and at the same time the head 0 swings on its pivot in thedirection indicatedby the arrow in Fig. 3, carrying the needle, backgage, channel-gage, and looper with it, and giving the lasted shoe itsproper feed movement, the sticker being at this time raised, so that itdoes not touch the sole. At the close of the forward movement the needlemoves backwardly and draws a loop of thread throughthe flap, the edge ofthe upper, and through the loop previously formed, the cast-offcooperating with the needle in the usual manner in holding the loop uponthe barb of the needle until the needle has completed its backwardmovement and separating the loop from the needle during the next forwardmovemeiit'of the needle,'s'o that the needle will not catch the looplast formed in drawing the next loop through it. \Vhen the needle inmoving forward enters the work, as shown in Fig. 18, the loop isdisengaged from the barb of the needle by the entrance of the latterinto the work, the cast-ofl' being at this time back of the barb, asshown in Fig. 13. After this the castoff moves toward the point of theneedle and into the disengaged loop, as shown in Fig. 12, and covers thebarb of the needle when the latter is next withdrawn, as shown in Fig.7, thereby retaining the new loop in engagement with the barb, said loopbeing thus drawn through the preceding loop. After the needle has formedthe loop the gages t'j separate to release their hold on the sole. Thesticker is depressed by the spring is and holds the sole, the lever 9being raised by the operation of withdrawing the needle. The recedingportion of the cam d then allows the springf to swing the headbackwardly or in the oppositedirection to that indicated by the arrow,thus bringing the needle in position to enter the upper and sole at therequired distance from the loop last formed. The gages t j next approacheach other and grasp the interposed portions of the sole and upper, andthe needle again moves forward. \Vhile the needle is penetrating theupper and channelflap the sticker remains in engagement with the sole ata point at the opposite side of the needle from the channel'gage, theneedle moving forward between said gage and sticker. The work is thussupported at both sides of the needle by the sticker and channel-gage,so that the operator is not required to exert as much etfort inresisting the pressure of the needle against the work as would be thecase if the work was supported only at one side of the needle.

It will be observed that the the needle, back gage, and channel-gage allmoving in unison with the head co-operate in feeding the work, the twogages firmly grasping the stock interposed between them during thefeeding operation, and, in connection with the needle, preventing theboot or shoe from swinging out of place while it is being fed. In fact,the boot or shoe is positively controlled by the machine during allparts of the operation, the sticker preventing the displacement of theboot or shoe while the needle and gages are separated from it.

I do not limit myself to a pivoted or swing ing head supporting theneedle, gages, and looper. Said head maybe fitted to slide in or onsuitable guides instead of oscillating; and I desire to be understood asmeaning by the term swinging head to include any kind of reciprocatingmovement whereby the work may be fed intermittently.

The machine may be used for sewing weltcd shoes, at suitable welt-guidebeing provided.

A segmental needle which is reciprocated in a curved path and is movedlaterally to feed the work being old, and the combination of such needlewith a channel-gage and a back gage being also old, I do not claim theneodle and its accompanying stitch-forming de vices and the gages,excepting in connection with a reciprocating or swinging head, asdescribed. The construction of the machine is materially cheapened andsimplified by the swinging head, the number of parts required beingconsiderably less than in machines of this class as heretoforeconstructed.

I claim 1. In a sole-sewing machine, the combination of a swinging head,mechanism, substantially as described, to operate it, stitch-tormingmechanism, substantially as described, including a curved needle, a backgage and a ehannelgage, all supported by and moving with said head, andoperating devices, substantially as described, for the stitch-formingmechanism, and operating devices, substantially as described, wherebysaid gages are caused to grasp the work when the needle is projected andduring the feeding movement of the head, and to release the work duringthe backward movement of the head, as set forth.

2. In a sole-sewing machine, the combination of a swinging head,mechanism to operate it, stitchforming mechanism, substantially asdescribed, a back gage and a channelgage, all supported by and movingwith the head, operating mechanism, substantially as described, for thestitch-forming mechanism, operating mechanism, substantially asdescribed, whereby said gages are caused to grasp the work during thefeeding movement of the head and to release the work during the backwardmovement of the head, and a pointed arresting device or sticker, andmechanism, substantially as described, to operate it, whereby the soleis held during the backward movement of the head, as set forth.

3. Ina solesewing machine, the combination of a swinging head, mechanismto operate it, stitch-forming mechanism,substantially as described,including a curved needle sup ported by and moving with the head,mechanism, substantially as described, to move said head forward whilethe needle is projected and backward while the needle is withdrawn, anda pointed sticker or arresting device and mechanism to operate it,whereby the sticker is removed from the sole during the forward movementof the head and engaged with the sole during the backward movement ofthe head, as set forth.

4. The combination of the swinging head, its operating mechanism, thestitch-forming mechanism supported by the head, the channel and backgages also supported by the head, operating mechanism, substantially asdescribed, for said gages, the rockshaftjournaled in the fixed frame ofthe machine, the sticker-carrying arm attached to the rockshaft, and thedevices whereby said rock-shaft is oscillated to raise the sticker whilethe head is moving forward and to lower the sticker while the head ismoving backward, as set forth.

5. The combination of the swinging head, mechanism to operate it, thestitch -forming mechanism supported by and moving with the head, thelevers 7. Z, pivoted to said head and having the gages t j at theirlower ends, and means, substantially as described, whereby said leversare oscillated and their gages caused to alternately grasp and releasethe work, as set forth.

6. The combination of the swinging head, mechanism to operate it, thestiteh-forming mechanism supported by and moving with the head, thegages i j, the levers k I, supporting said gages and pivoted to thehead, and the reciprocating wedge-block between the upper ends of saidlevers, and the spring which presses said ends against the wedgeblock,whereby the levers are caused to approach and reeede from each other, asset forth.

7. The combination of the supporting-frame, the driving shaft having thecams d a journaled in said frame, the swinging head pivoted to theframe, the curved needle, the looper, the cast-0if, and the channel andback gages, all supported by and moving with the head, and devices,substantially as described,whereby motion is communicated to saidneedle, looper, cast-oft, and gages from the cams (Z a, as set forth.

8. The combination of the supportingframe, the driving-shaft having thecams d u, the head 0, pivoted to the frame and having a roll, 6, and aspring, f, which presses said roll against the cam d, theslide e in thehead, engaged with a cam-groove'in the cam d, the curved needle, and thecast-0ff supported by and moving with the head, the devices hereby themovements of the slide 6 are caused to oscillate said needle andcast-off, the chan-' nel-gage, the back gage, and their pivotedoperating levers supported by the head, the looper alsosnpported by thehead, the cam 10 ANDREW EPPLER, JR. \Vitnesses:

O, F. BROWN, H. BROWN.

